03

Today is Anais' big day. Nasa office muna ako ngayon to meet some clients bago ako pumunta ng Greenbelt to check on the newly built branch of Suarez Label and to buy a gift for Anais . Pagkagising ko kaninang umaga, bigla kong naalala na wala pa pala akong nabiling regalo para sa kaniya. Originally, the dress I made for her was my gift pero Anais insisted and paid for it dahil nga it was my first official project. 

Nag-order muna ako ng lunch para sa mga employees before I went to the mall. I stopped by our branch first. The main colors of the store's interiors are rose gold, white, and black which I personally chose to give it a classic look. The store has two floors. Sa baba nakadisplay ang casual, office, and formal wear. Sa taas naman, ay andun ang aming mga ready to wear wedding dresses. 

After checking the store, naglibot-libot ako sa mall to buy some stuff for my own. It's been a while since I last treated myself because I have been busy with work. I just bought myself a new pair of black Balenciaga trainers. 

I went to Jo Malone after to buy Anais' favorite scent called Mimosa & Cardamom. Ito nalang ang regalo ko sa kaniya. Nung isang araw kasi sinabi niyang paubos na yung perfume niya na yun. It's the only perfume she's been using ever since high school. Ang favorite perfume ko naman ay yung Chanel No. 5. One thing Anais and I have in common is our love for perfumes and that's also one of the reasons why the both of us clicked. Walang-wala ito sa ibang mga regalong matatanggap niya mamaya but this perfume holds a symbolic representation of our friendship. 

I checked out the other scents as well before going to the cashier to pay. I sat down and waited for the employee to get a new stock of the perfume and wrap it up for me.

The store was playing classical music, specifically, Nocturne op.9 no. 2 by Chopin. I closed my eyes and my hands unconsciously went to my lap as if I was playing the piano. Yeah, I know I'm weird. 

I suddenly heard a man near me humming to the song while smelling some perfumes which caught my attention. He's also probably a musician just like me. Although, parang nakita ko na siya dati. His face screams royalty. Para siyang prinsipe at ako naman ang nawawala niyang prinsesa.

 Napasapo ako sa noo ko when that thought crossed my mind. 

 He was wearing a pair of grey chino pants and a black polo with his sleeves rolled up kaya naman kitang-kita ang kaniyang mga ugat. I

suddenly remembered Lili na lagi kaming gustong pagpractican ng venipuncture. 

Hindi ko alam kung mga ilang minuto akong nakatitig sa braso niya. Nang mabalik ako sa katinuan ay napunta ang tingin ko sa kaniyang mukha. Nagulat ako nang makita kong nakatingin na rin siya sa akin. 

Para akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. Pucha! Sobrang nakakahiya! 

Buti nalang tinawag na ako ng empleyado at binigay na sa akin ang binili kong pabango. Sa sobrang hiya ko ay nagmadali akong umalis ng store at nakalimutan ko pa yung nabili kong Balenciaga shoes. 

Babalik na sana ako sa loob ng nakita kong may nakaharang sa aking daanan. It was the guy I was checking out earlier.

"Hey, miss. You forgot this." he said while handing me the paper bag. His voice is deep and it sounds like music to my ears. 

"Thank you." I said while looking down and grabbing the paper bag from his hand. Dali-dali na akong umalis pagkatapos. I've never been so humiliated in my entire life. I just hope that our paths won't cross again.

Umuwi muna ako sa bahay para makapag-ayos at dahil sa akin sasabay si Lili papunta sa XYLO. I wore a silver sequinned dress that is above the knee and draped a black suit on my shoulders. I curled my hair kaya naman mas nag stand out ang brown ombre color nito. My make up look is just simple. I threw in a winged eyeliner and red lipstick combo. Pagkatapos kong mag-ayos ay nilagay ko na ang phone at lipstick ko sa aking black YSL clutch bag. 

Pagbaba ko sa living room ay nakaupo na si Lili sa sofa habang nakatingin sa phone niya.

"Aba, first time ka atang lalabas na walang libro ah." pansin ko sa kaniya.

"No." sabay pakita niya sa akin ng phone niyang may lamang reviewer. "Magmumukha lang akong tanga kung makita nila akong may dalang libro sa club. Kaya gumawa ako ng reviewer kagabi para accessible sa phone."

Napa-tss nalang ako sa kaniya. Ang sipag talaga mag aral nitong si Lili. Araw-araw, sandamakmak na mga readings ang kaniyang binabasa. She usually turns off her phone pag nag-aaral para hindi siya madistract. Hindi man lang siya nawawalan ng focus and that's what I really admire about her. 

Before heading out, Lili and I took photos first and we both posted on our IG stories. Pumunta na kami ni Lili sa XYLO. Pagdating namin dun, medyo puno na ang venue. I saw Anais from afar talking to I assume her blockmates in La Salle. Infairness ah ang aga niya ngayon. Lili and I went to greet her.

"Dani, Lili! Thanks for coming." Anais said while hugging us. 

"Anything for you, Anais." sabi ni Lili.

"You look so good in that dress. I wonder who made that?" pambibiro ko kay Anais. 

"Oh, of course sino pa ba? The one and only Chanel Suarez lang naman." 

Nagkwentuhan pa kaming tatlo ng kaunti bago hinatak si Anais ng iba niyang mga kaibigan. Lili and I joined Kai sa second floor ng club kung saan kita ang dance floor. Kai grabbed us some drinks. Pagkaabot ni Kai kay Lili ng alak ay itinungga niya agad ito. 

"Huy, akala ko mag-aaral ka? Dahan-dahan lang diyan", Kai scolded her. 

"You know what. I'm gonna forget studying tonight. Let's party!", sigaw niya sabay hatak kay Kai papuntang bar para kumuha pa ng maiinom. This isn't the first time Lili went out with us drinking. Parati siyang lowkey lang pero nababaliw rin pag lasing na. This time, hindi pa siya lasing, wala na siya sa sarili niya.

Kai gave me an apologetic look. I just nodded at him and watched the people dancing downstairs.

I wasn't really a party animal. Kapag napupunta kami ng mga clubs, nasa isang sulok lang ako. Hindi ako nakikipagsiksikan sa dance floor kasi may pagka claustrophobic ako. I'm the type to drink quietly and di ako basta-bastang nalalasing. Talo ko pa nga si Kai sa taas ng alcohol tolerance ko. 

I decided to go to the restroom to touch up. Pagkabalik ko, nahilo ako sa mga gumagalaw na mga ilaw kaya di ako makakita ng maayos. Plus, I forgot to put on my contacts. Pababa na sana ako para puntahan sila Lili nang may mabunggo akong lalaki. His drink spilled all over his shirt and my dress. 

"Oh my gosh. I am so sorry. I didn't see you", I said while immediately grabbing tissue from my purse and wiped it on his shirt. 

I was panicking because a lot of people started looking at us as if malaki yung nagawa kong kasalanan. Gosh, I had enough embarrassment for the day. Nadagdagan nanaman. How unlucky could I get?

"It's alright. You should wipe yourself too", he said.

That voice. It's familiar. 

Dahan-dahan kong itinaas ang paningin ko sa kaniya. It was the man from the store a while ago. Napanga-nga nalang ako sa kaba. He noticed me spacing out so he grabbed my wrist and made us move to the side para di na kami pagtinginan ng ibang mga tao. 

"Hey, uh, here's my handkerchief. Ubos na ata tissue mo eh" he said while getting it out of his pocket and giving it to me.

"Uh, thanks..." 

"Dee", he said cutting me off. 

"What Dee?" I asked, confused about what he said.

"Dee is my name. Short for Dior." 

Wow. Our names though. Chanel and Dior. Sobrang bagay.....kaming dalawa.

"Oh, right. I am, uh, Dani. Nice to meet you", I said while offering my hand. 

I'd usually introduce myself as Chanel to strangers and only my friends call me Dani. Hindi ko alam kung bakit iyon ang nasabi ko sa kaniya. Bahala na.

"Nice to meet you too, Dani." 

He smiled at me and shook my hand. My gaze went directly to his beautiful hazel brown eyes. Even though it was dark, I could clearly see how his eyes were glistening. 

Nawala ang tingin ko sa kaniya nang maramdaman kong may tumutulo sa paa ko. Nabasa nga pala ako kanina nung natapon yung iniinom niya. 

"Oh uhm sorry. I'll just fix myself", I shyly said while gently wiping my dress and legs. 

Tangina. Nagiging dalagang Pilipina ako bigla dito ah. 

Nang matapos kong ayusin ang damit ko ay napabaling ang tingin ko sa kaniya. His outfit earlier in Greenbelt is the same outfit he's wearing now. Nakabukas nga lang ng kaunti ang kaniyang mga butones kaya medyo kita ang kaniyang dibdib which made me gulp a little. 

Silence filled the both of us. He is now drinking another glass of beer his habang nakatingin sa mga taong sumasayaw. I was just there sitting down not knowing what to do. Para akong batang naghihintay mabigyan ng ice cream. 

"So, you like classical music too, huh?" He suddenly spoke cutting off the silence.

"Uh, how did you..."

"I saw you in the store a while ago moving your hands while your eyes are closed"

Shit. Nakita niya pala yun. Puta, siraulo na ata siguro tingin nito sa akin.

"Oh, uhm, yeah that was silly of me", I laughed awkwardly. 

"I actually find that cute. I do that too sometimes pero imaginary violin naman yung sa akin." He chuckled a bit which made me smile. 

My eyes lit up with what he said. Bihira nalang ang may gusto ng classical music nowadays so I got pretty excited when he mentioned the violin. 

"Omg, you play the violin?" I asked, amused.

"I used to. But that was when I was a kid." 

"Oh, I see."

"With what I saw earlier, I assume you play the piano?" 

"Yes, I do." Wow, parang magpapakasal lang ah. 

"My mom plays the piano too. She said an old friend taught her how to play. Ikaw, how did you learn?" 

Ang daldal rin pala ng lalaking toh noh. 

"My mom taught me but she died a few months ago." 

Natahimik siya sa sinabi ko. 

"Oh, I am sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that. I can really be noisy at times especially when I talk to a person who has the same interests as me", he said looking worried. 

"No, it's alright." I gave him an assuring smile. 

"You want a drink?", he asked to erase the awkwardness between us. 

"No, thanks. I've had enough for the night." I smiled at him.

One thing I learned from my mom is to not take food or drinks from strangers especially, pag nasa club. You never know baka kung ano-ano ang nilalagay nila. 

We fell into silence again. This time, ako naman ang kumausap sa kaniya. 

"By the way, how do you know Anais?"

"She was my classmate in a lot of subjects nung college. I just graduated a few months ago."

"Oh" Kaya pala he kinda looks familiar. 

The night was getting darker and the rave party just started. Pag mga ganito talaga umaalis na ako eh. A few minutes later, I heard my stomach growl. I remembered di pala ako masyadong nakakain ng dinner kanina bago umalis kaya eto inaatake na ako ng gutom. Pero may kasama ako so idadamay ko nalang siya.

"Do you perhaps want to buy food outside with me? Gutom na kasi ako eh" I was kinda shouting at his ear already dahil sa lakas ng music. 

"Sure, no problem."

We went down sa ground floor and made our way to the exit. Anais saw us together at hinarangan kami. 

"Oh my gosh. It looks like magkakilala na kayo! I was actually planning to introduce him to you, Dani."

I went a little closer to her and whispered "Bakit di mo sinabi saking may ganito ka palang kagwapong kaklase?"

She just laughed at me. 

"Anyways, lalabas na ako. You know me." 

"You mean, lalabas KAYO." she said while giving Dee a teasing glare. 

I hugged her at nagpaalam na sa kaniya. 

"Let's talk tomorrow and you better spill the deets."

Nang malapit na kami sa exit, nakita ako nila Kai at Lili. Lumaki ang mata nilang dalawa nang mahagip ng paningin nila si Dee na kasama ko.

Lili shouted, "YES BITCH GET THAT DI-!"

Tinakpan na ni Kai ang bibig ni Lili na halatang lasing na. May pinagdadaanan ata kaya nagpakawild ngayong gabi. 

"Ikaw na mag-uwi niyan ah!"

"Copy, boss!" sambit ni Kai. 

Pagkalabas namin ng club ay nakahinga ako ng maluwag. I don't really like dark places like that. Sumasakit ulo ko. Sinuot ko na ang suit na nakasampay sa balikat ko. Dee, on the other hand, looked at me intently and put his hands in his pockets. 

"I figured you didn't like clubs kaya ako sana mag-aaya sayo lumabas kaso baka kung ano isipin mo sa akin." 

We started walking papunta sa Denny's which is a few walks away from XYLO.

"Yeah, I'm kind of claustrophobic. Mas gugustuhin ko pang uminom sa kalsada kesa sa loob ng club. If it wasn't only for Anais then I wouldn't come."

"Hey, mas maganda nga yun eh. You get to drink with friends and have deep conversations." he said while smiling at me. 

Gosh, this man looks perfect. His teeth are so white and his hair is parted at the side exposing his forehead. 

Nakarating na kami sa Denny's. We just ordered food at nag take-out nalang kami. We sat at a bench outside the resto while eating and looking at the sky. 

"You know. The moon has a very special place in my heart because it reminds me of my mom. It's my safe place." I was at the verge of crying but I tried to fight my tears back. 

"I find it so beautiful that every time I see it, I want to cry." I honestly don't know what happened to me but opening up to him like this makes me feel comfortable. 

Dee was just quiet the entire time I was talking. I can tell he's a pretty good listener. No one of us talked for a while. I was just enjoying the fresh night breeze that is sweeping through my face while eating the last of my burger. 

"I may not know how you feel right now because losing a parent has never occurred to me yet." he suddenly talked. 

"But I just want you to know that I hope one day, you'll see the moon more than just a hint of your past." He paused for a while. 

I smiled at his comforting words. 

"I hope you know that the moon lights up the darkness just as how it'll light up your life once the pain goes away." he said while closing his eyes.